


The Apprenticeship

by LavenderLoveLive



Category: Room of Swords (Webcomic)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Intrusive Thoughts, M/M, Mostly fluff though, No beta reader, demisexual panic, filling in some of the blanks, other characters are referenced but they play small roles, strawbarrow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:35:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28782780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderLoveLive/pseuds/LavenderLoveLive
Summary: Gyrus accepts Kodya's offer and intends to keep the kid at arm's length -- but he should have known as a scientist that things rarely go according to plan.
Relationships: Gyrus Axelei/Kodya Karevic
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	The Apprenticeship

_"Gyrus, wait!" He heard several voices call out from behind him, but that didn't stop him from blasting ahead with his boots. He thought he could see two figures on the ice lake leading to the boss’s lair and he knew from scouting just how unstable it was._

_He just hoped he could get there in time to help._

_The Egyptian woman stood perfectly still as the cracks in the ice slowly spread out around her._

_The kid in blue clearly knew what he was doing as he inched out closer and closer to her. He kept his weight spread out as much as possible as he unwound a rope. "Nephthys. Slowly and carefully, lay down on the ice."_

_The woman -- Nephthys -- nodded and shifted her weight, flinching as her movement resulted in another loud crack underneath her. "I don't know if I can--!"_

_Gyrus ran up to the edge of the lake, gritting his teeth. This wasn't good. His boots would only break up the thin ice even more and he wasn't sure if using his powers here would cause the two to panic._

_"Hey!" He called out, waving a hand over his head._

_The kid in blue straightened as they made eye contact and nodded with determination. "Nephthys, hang onto this rope, okay?"_

_She nodded and he tossed her one end of the rope. The kid turned back to Gyrus and attaching the other end to an arrow, fired the rest of the bundle in his direction._

_Gyrus stepped out onto the safer thicker ice, catching the other end._

_Nephthys was easy enough to reel in and the woman had tears in the corners of her eyes as she made it to stable ground._

_"Oh thank, Ra!" She said, giving Gyrus a quick hug in gratitude before turning her attention back out to the ice where her friend was still on precarious ground._

_"It’s going to be alright." He consoled, balling up the rope to toss it back out. Before he could throw it though, there was a quiver in the ground, radiating from the center of the lake._

_Gyrus knew this was nothing to be too concerned about from an external threat perspective. Throughout the many voyages he and the others had spent in this realm, the small quakes were much too common._

_But what he was worried about was…_

_"No!!" Nephthys shrieked in horror as the ice shattered beneath her companion. He quickly fell beneath the surface, hands slipping on the edges and sinking out of sight._

_Not on his watch._

_Gyrus didn't hesitate to activate his boots and launched into the water after him._

_He knew the water was going to be painfully cold -- but there was no time to deal with that now. He scanned the murky depths and saw the sinking figure not too far in front of him._

_Gyrus swam up to him, grasping him by the shoulders. For a moment Gyrus paused in alarm, the kid was already unconscious._

_It made Gyrus all the more determined to save him._

_Activating his boots again, he propelled them both back through the surface of the lake, where they landed hard on the solid ice. But the kid still wasn't breathing._

_Wasting no time, Gyrus trembling from the cold immediately began CPR. He was not losing him._

_Part of his mind registered Don singing and the sound of their party approaching across the ice._

_Ultimately, he only needed a few rounds of CPR before the kid twitched violently, doubling over as he coughed up water and caught his breath._

_Relief flooded through Gyrus as his shoulders dropped and he patted the kid’s back to help. "That's it, you're okay now."_

_“What’s your name kid?”_

_He looked up at him with bright eyes. “...Kodya.”_

\---

Gyrus lay flat on his back staring up at the roof of the training room, head still slightly spinning from the fall. 

"That's three wins." Cib reappeared in his field of vision, cocking her head curiously as she extended a hand down to him. "Is everything alright, Gyrus? It's not like you to leave yourself open like that."

Gyrus sighed, taking her hand, sending the implant in his wrist a glare as he stood up. 

"I think I've just been spending too much time in the lab working on projects recently." He lied smoothly, with a shrug and a smile. "I won't let you win so easily next time once I am less rusty."

Cib stretched and placed her practice sword back in the rack. "Well don't work too hard. Once the supply teams finish stocking up, we're starting that new realm."

"I know," he smiled tiredly as she vanished once again. 

Once he was sure she was out of the room, his smile faded and he sat down on the bench staring down at his wrist.

What was he going to do? For the first time since he arrived in the Room of Swords, Gyrus felt like he had peace of mind. The shadows voices had quieted, but the draw of power from the implant was more detrimental than he had anticipated. He could always try to reduce the amount of power it drew… but if it wasn't enough to keep the shadow contained he would be in an even worse position than before to combat its lies.

And he couldn't just ask the team to divert their energy into keeping an eye on him either. 

As frustrating as it was, maybe he'd have to go back to the drawing board with this after all. 

He heard footsteps approaching and quickly shook off the glum. No need to let his struggles affect morale. He still had plenty of time to figure out a solution before the next realm. The supply teams would still take another few days, plus the time to create more support items, then planning and selecting the team on top of that.

Kodya rounded the corner into the training room, bow in hand. He froze in the doorway as he made eye contact with Gyrus.

"Oh, are you using the room?"

Gyrus shook his head. "Just finished sparring with Cib. It's all yours."

Kodya didn't move, frowning. "Are you sure? I can come back later."

"Yes," Gyrus fought back a smile and waved him in. "Come on." 

The kid still seemed skeptical, but nodded stiffly and walked into the room. 

Gyrus put his practice sword away and headed to the door as Kodya set up the targets for his archery practice. 

Instead of leaving immediately though, Gyrus stopped in the door and leaned on the frame. Kodya had been proving to be a well rounded, valuable addition to the Room of Swords. Gyrus was curious to see more of his skills in action.

Kodya worked through the targets with ease, each of his shots striking true. Gyrus shook his head, impressed. The kid was a natural. He really ought to be working more on his sword fighting and polishing his new abilities more. They still weren't quite sure what class he was yet. And those skills you couldn't work on in a training room with targets -- you needed to be out in the field. But it wasn't exactly a good idea to go out into a realm by yourself to practice as a rookie. You needed someone experienced to go out with you. Someone to watch your back.

Gyrus was just about to leave when the idea crossed his mind. 

Kodya had been asking him for something like this since he arrived hadn't he? Becoming his apprentice? It seemed like every time that the kid had asked something interrupted him before they could talk about it. 

Gyrus didn't exactly feel like mentor material, not with his literal internal shadow demon, but maybe this could be a mutually beneficial relationship. He could coach the kid and then also have someone watch his back without Gyrus feeling like a burden for asking.

Kodya was gathering his stray arrows when Gyrus stepped back into the room.

"Nice shooting, kid." 

Kodya nearly dropped the quiver as he whirled, his face flushed from what Gyrus assumed was training. 

"Gyrus! I thought you left."

"You weren't kidding about your marksmanship. But these targets have to be getting a bit boring, huh?"

Kodya rubbed the back of his neck, face growing a little pinker. "They're fine. I know we have limited resources."

Gyrus placed a hand on his hip. "It might be time to upgrade your training then."

Kodya frowned. "...What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about your offer. Becoming my 'apprentice'?" Gyrus started slowly. 

Kodya’s eyes lit up and he nodded, not interrupting. 

"Now that we have a few more hands on deck around here, it might be a good time to talk about that in more detail. Let's meet up tomorrow morning at the East Gate realm entrance, okay?"

\----

One on one time with Kodya was not what had expected it to be. Around the Room of Swords, Kodya tended to keep to himself. Nephthys often hung around him, but she made a point to get to know everyone. Gyrus had been a bit nervous about what they would talk about on their way to the training ground he had picked out, but Kodya was easy to talk to. 

He was very down to earth and the fact that they came from very different time periods didn't seem to put a damper on the small talk at all. He was so engrossed by their conversation that Gyrus was surprised at how quickly they had reached their destination. 

"Alright, we're here." He announced as they reached the top of the hill. The sound of monsters in the pit below echoed up over the edge.

Kodya wiped the sweat from his forehead as he scanned the area. "A monster pit?"

Gyrus nodded. "It's the best place to gain some experience with the lowest risk. Besides, your powers seem to work well on monsters and animals, and that's what I want to work on today. Right now your powers are mostly paralysis based, right?" 

"Yes." Kodya nodded. "I can stun and I can sometimes control weaker enemies. I think I might be able to calm them as well? But that one I'm still working on." The kid glanced down at the monster pit. "It's not great in large groups though."

"I see." Gyrus rubbed his chin. Kodya was going to have to break that line of thought. If he didn't believe he could handle larger groups of enemies he wouldn't be able to. 

He glanced down to the monster pit and his plan formed. 

"Can I see you bow?" He asked innocently. If Kodya was to grow, he couldn't fall back on what he was already good at after all. Gyrus wasn't here to mentor him on marksmanship.

"Uh, sure." Kodya replied, handing him his bow. He frowned."But why do you need--"

"Lesson one." Gyrus said with a smirk and knocked the kid off his feet. With a yelp, Kodya tumbled down into the pit and Gyrus sat on the edge of the cliff comfortably. "Practicing on large swarms of enemies."

Kodya scrambled to his feet at the bottom of the pit as a few nearby monsters took notice of him. "Alone!?" He shouted back up.

"You've got a sword and magic, kid. You'll be fine." Gyrus called back down, holding back a laugh. There was no real danger here and Gyrus was close enough to intercede if anything got out of hand. He wanted to see how Kodya would react.

Kodya looked panicked for a few more seconds, before shaking his head and diverting his attention to the monsters in front of him. 

Gyrus was curious to see what his approach was going to be and how flexible he could be with his powers. 

He had to admit, he was impressed. Despite being out of his element, Kodya was keeping a level head and making an effort to try new techniques. The kid definitely needed some more training with the sword, but that was something that a few sparring sessions could easily improve. 

This was going to be an interesting partnership.

\---

They kept this training regimen up for the next few weeks. Each day they'd hike out, clear monsters or practice sparring. While planning out their training sessions was a nice break from the stresses of the Room of Swords, it presented challenges of its own as well.

Kodya was a frightenly quick learner.

In the short time they had been training together, the kid had already discovered a new spell he dubbed Lure, which allowed him to easily distract large groups of weaker enemies. And his sword skills weren't too bad either. Gyrus still had the edge on him with the sword -- and he hoped he wouldn't lose that for a while even with the implant drawing his energy. 

Halfway through a monster clearing day, something happened that Gyrus had been waiting for. 

Kodya had just defeated the three monsters in front of him. The ruin energy zipped over to him and he doubled over in pain as more monsters descended.

Gyrus leapt down into the pit, blasting the remaining enemies away with his powers.

Kodya stood up shakily, flexing his hands. "Sorry--I don't know what that was."

"I'm pretty sure I do." Gyrus stepped up to him, brushing his bangs back to get a better look at his eyes to confirm. Kodya’s eyes darted back and forth, but Gyrus saw what he was looking for. His eyes were glowing brightly. He stepped back placing a hand on his hip. "Congrats kid, you've reached your breaking point."

Kodya’s eyes widened and he glanced over at the remaining monsters at the far side of the pit. "Should I use it here…?"

"It would be wasted on these guys." Gyrus shook his head, climbing out of the pit. "Let’s head somewhere with some stronger foes."

They found the perfect target sitting outside of a cave not far from the cliff they had been on. A large, six legged lizard lumbered by, hissing at anything that approached it too closely.

From their covered position, Gyrus quickly explained how to activate the breaking point.

Kodya seemed anxious, but determined. He stood up and started walking forward, hesitating when Gyrus didn't follow. "What is it?"

"I think it's best if I hang back, just in case your breaking point has some sort of field effect.” Gyrus remembered the first time Feather had discovered their breaking point and he and Ragan had accidentally gotten caught up in the field. He shuddered. “It wouldn't be good to get caught up in it."

Kodya looked down at his hands. "I wonder what it will be."

"It's the ultimate expression of your unique abilities." Gyrus explained, placing a hand on his shoulder. "My powers are gravitational based, right? Event Horizon gives me complete control over matter within that boundary. Your powers seem to be some sort of mental or emotional influence over living things. Whatever your breaking point is, it will be something you'll instinctively know what to do with."

Kodya took a deep breath and nodded. "One way to find out." 

As he walked out into the open, he began to glow. It didn't matter how many times Gyrus saw someone use a breaking point, it gave him chills every time.

** KODYA BREAKING POINT **

Gyrus should have known it would take the form of a bow and arrow. The lizard turned to face Kodya right as he launched the arrow. Gyrus watched eagerly as the arrow made contact and the lizard glowed with the same blue energy. The arc seemed to connect both Kodya and the lizard and before Gyrus could see what it did, Kodya collapsed to the ground motionless. 

The lizard hadn't stopped moving. 

"Kid!" Gyrus sprinted forward, heart racing with alarm. Kodya’s ruin energy overflow shouldn't have been this advanced? And he had just used his breaking point anyway! Had it backfired?

Gyrus landed at Kodya’s side on his knees, checking for a pulse. "Kodya! Kid, wake up!"

Thankfully, he was still breathing, but that didn't put Gyrus too much at ease. What had happened? Kodya didn't look like he was in distress, in fact, his expression was completely relaxed, like had fallen asleep.

There was the sound of trees falling and Gyrus looked up to see another lizard heading straight for them. Uh oh. Why hadn't he scoped out the area further before testing this? This was not good. 

Before he could move though, the first lizard leapt over them and charged into the second. 

Gyrus blinked in surprise, trying to understand what the heck had happened, before he caught a glance of the glowing blue eyes of the first lizard. 

...Had the breaking point worked after all?

He could figure this out later, right now he needed to get them out of the battlefield. He scooped Kodya up and threw him over his shoulders in a fireman's carry and launched out of the way.

The fight between the giant lizards was something to behold. The first -- that Kodya must be controlling remotely? Possessed, maybe? -- made short work of the second before it too shuddered and collapsed from the exertion. A burst of blue energy shot out of it and zipped back in their direction, returning to Kodya's body.

Gyrus leaned over Kodya as he slowly stirred, eyes blinking disoriented.

"Kid?"

"Nnngh…."

Gyrus let out a sigh of relief, tension releasing from his shoulders. He was alright."Welcome back. How was it?"

A bit more clarity seemed to be returning as Kodya looked around them, getting his bearings. 

"It was--" Kodya choked suddenly, turning a shade of green and rolled over, doubling over as he fought to keep his lunch down. 

Gyrus pulled out a canteen of water and handed it to him. 

Kodya took a big swig and sat back, shuddering. "--unpleasant. Ngh, I can still taste lizard breath."

Gyrus laughed and looked back out at the battlefield. "Well it was certainly effective. Tell me everything."

\---

Becoming Gyrus' apprentice hadn't been exactly what Kodya had expected. 

He could tell from that first time they met on that frozen lake that under the surface, Gyrus was a complicated tangle of emotions… and maybe that was what had drawn Kodya to him in the first place. 

Gyrus was a good leader and in Kodya’s experience, good leaders were hard to come by. He cared about his people and was determined to make things better for everyone. Most of the other people in the Room of Swords only saw the air of confidence and control that Gyrus carefully presented, but underneath it all, Kodya could always tell a part of Gyrus was just as lost, if not more so than the rest of them. 

Cib had told Kodya early on that Gyrus never asked for help, that Gyrus always did things alone… but Kodya couldn't let someone so amazing, someone who had saved his life, someone so kind, someone so lost, just go things alone. He wanted to help. He wanted to be there for him. 

And when he had been given that chance, Kodya had let Gyrus down.

It had only been a few days since he had found Gyrus injured, exhausted, and alone in the Snake Realm, after he had vanished right within Kodya's reach, and Kodya was still feeling guilty over it. He knew Gyrus had needed someone watching his back more than anyone else and he had failed.

Kodya laid on top of his bed, staring at the ceiling, mind racing too much to sleep despite the exhaustion from the past few weeks of stress. Nephthys had cleared Gyrus from the med bay yesterday, but Gyrus was still far from recovered from whatever had happened to him. If Kodya had thought he looked lost before? It was only further evident to him now.

Two light knocks on his door interrupted his thoughts. 

Kodya sat up, looking at the time, before looking back to the door. Who was up at this hour? Had someone really knocked? Or was he hearing things?

There were no more knocks, but Kodya got up and opened the door anyway to see Gyrus' retreating form walking back down the hall.

"Gyrus?" He called, prompting his mentor to pause in place, but not turn around. "What are you doing here?"

Gyrus turned slowly, avoiding his eyes looking down at the floor. He looked… small and scared. "I wanted to ask you something… remember the soothe spell you used to save me from the snake?"

"I remember." Kodya frowned. Gyrus kept apologizing to him for things that weren't his fault. "Are you here to apologize for that too?" Why didn't he understand? "I told you, I want to help--"

"I'm asking for your help," Gyrus blurted out -- his normally carefully composed confidence replaced with exhaustion, desperation, and hopelessness. "I want you to try that spell on me."

As usual when it came to Gyrus -- this wasn't quite what Kodya had expected. And this certainly wasn't a conversation for the hall in the middle of the night either. Kodya stepped aside and gestured to the open door to his room. "...Do you want to come in?"

Gyrus nodded, shoulders slumped and stepped into the room. 

Kodya didn't have much in his room. Besides sleeping, he didn't spend much time in here. He gestured to his bed for Gyrus to sit and walked over to a small table to grab him some water. 

Gyrus sat down, leaning against the wall, his feet hanging off the edge.

"What's going on?" Kodya asked, handing him water. "Was it a nightmare?"

Gyrus took it, keeping his gaze down. "...Something like that."

Kodya sat down next to him and waited. He didn't want to pressure him into opening up, especially on something that Gyrus obviously had some sort of shame or embarrassment over.

Gyrus gripped the bottle tighter and sighed. "...I have these… inner demons, I guess you could say. I've been trying to keep them under control, but lately… especially at night they've just..."

Kodya nodded in understanding. He was no stranger to helping people with intrusive thoughts or anxiety. "When you're exhausted it's easier for those feelings to take over. I get it."

Gyrus looked up at him with a tired smile. "Yeah. I hate to ask, but I was thinking that maybe your spell might be able to take the edge off. Enough so I could get some rest at least?" Upon finishing the question, Gyrus' face flushed and he looked back down at the ground in that cute, panicked way he did when he got flustered. "But. Uh. If it's too much to ask I can go--"

"I said I wanted to help, right?" Kodya cut him off, giving Gyrus a reassuring smile, trying not to let his own feelings distract him. 

Focus, Kodya. 

He looked down at his hand thoughtfully. "I've only tried it on low intelligence creatures before though, so I'm not sure exactly what effect it might have."

Gyrus smirked and glanced up at him, humor breaking through for just a moment. "Ah well then it probably won't work on someone with such high intelligence like me then, huh?" 

Kodya shook his head and rolled his eyes affectionately. "Smartass." 

He held out his hand and Gyrus looked down at it, smile fading. He swallowed hard, biting his lip.

"I'll start with the average amount of mana I typically use for this spell," Kodya explained. "And then if it's too strong or too weak I can try adjusting it, okay? And I can stop at any time."

Gyrus nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "Right."

Gyrus raised his hand, hesitating for a moment, before steeling himself and taking Kodya's hand.

Kodya tried not to be distracted by the electric feeling that shot up his hand that had nothing to do with the spell. He had to focus.

Kodya channeled the spell… and was not prepared for the response he felt to it. It was a completely different experience on a person.

_**~StressfearDARKNESSanxietyexpectationsconfusionISOLATIONpanicfearconfusionDARKNESSpanicconfusionDARK--~** _

He gasped at the rush of emotions that flooded over the connection. It disoriented him for a moment before he was pulled out of it by Gyrus' head slumping against his shoulder. 

Okay, This was definitely much too strong. Kodya let go immediately, shaking Gyrus' shoulder and trying to ignore the burning feeling in his cheeks at the closeness and intimacy of the moment.

"Gyrus!"

Gyrus snapped awake, blinking rapidly.

"I'm sorry." Kodya apologized immediately, trying not to be too flustered about practically knocking out his mentor. "That was too strong. Are you okay?"

"No, no." Gyrus shook his head, more focus coming back. He seemed significantly less flustered than Kodya was and he was grateful that Gyrus didn't seem to notice."That was… nice. A bit strong but, I think it was helping?"

"Normally with creatures, I just get a sense of their natural instincts, but…" Kodya looked down at the ground, still a bit flustered. "I could get a strong sense of your feelings as well. Are you still comfortable with this? With that sort of connection? I don't want to cross any boundaries." 

Gyrus flushed a little. "You, er, can't… read my thoughts… can you?"

Kodya shook his head quickly. "No, no words, just general feelings…" He frowned, thinking of the intensity of Gyrus' intrusive feelings. It felt almost… foreign. Almost separate from Gyrus. "I could also feel what I'm guessing are those inner demons too though. You weren't kidding. Those were strong."

Gyrus nodded solemnly. "I think I'm okay to try again if you are."

Kodya nodded. "I'll try adjusting a few things this time."

He extended his hand again and Gyrus took it without hesitation. Not that that lessened the jolt of electricity. 

Focus, Kodya.

This time, knowing what to expect, Kodya channeled the energy again, adjusting the amount of magic and the flow to be less overwhelming.

Gyrus let out a deep sigh. The tension dropped from his shoulders, but he didn't slump over this time, and the emotions Kodya felt were much more muted. He tried to channel more energy when the intrusive feelings arose, focusing on squashing those in particular. 

"Is this okay?" Kodya asked.

Gyrus nodded, a soft smile on his face. "This helps."

Kodya couldn't help but smile too. It felt good to be able to do something for once. Especially for the person he may or may not have a lot of feelings for. Gyrus had come to him specifically, and Kodya was able to help him. 

_~ **DARK** fear...relaxedtrustsecurity **ISOlati** \--relaxed...LIescalmexhaustion **DA** \--securitysafetyrelaxedcuriosulythoughtful…~_

"I wonder…" Gyrus hummed. "If your powers are more effective on other people… because they're emotional…maybe empathy based?"

"Could be. Most creatures have very basic emotions." Kodya shrugged. "Though I doubt many people would refer to me as empathic."

_~outragefondnessdefensive~_

"What?" Gyrus wrinkled his nose. "...That's ridiculous. Who would say that?"

Kodya bit back a smile, trying not to be too flattered by that.

They sat for a while longer, Kodya doing his best to silence the intrusive feelings as they surfaced, and eventually it got to a point where Kodya couldn't feel them at all anymore.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked, though he didn't really need Gyrus to answer to know that.

_~peacereliefexhaustionrelaxed~_

"Better." Gyrus nodded lazily, his eyes mostly shut and back slumped against the wall. "It's quiet now."

Reluctantly, Kodya ended the spell and let go of Gyrus' hand.

"Still okay?"

Gyrus blinked awake slightly, taking a deep breath. "I think so? Yeah." He turned to look at Kodya with a grateful smile. Kodya could see the peace and relief in his eyes. "Thank you, Kodya."

Kodya's heart flew up out of his chest.

"Anytime you need I'll be here, okay?"

\---

Silence hung heavy over the room as Gyrus stared at Cib and Don. 

"You think I'm not ready to lead another mission?" Gyrus repeated, trying and failing to not feel betrayed. "But I'm fine!"

"Easy, amigo." Don raised a hand. "Ragan and Ciboulette are more than capable of leading the party."

"All we're saying is there's no reason to rush back, Gyrus." Cib followed up, a pitying expression on her face. "We're much better off with fighters than we used to be and we have plenty of new rookies who could use the experience. There's no reason to throw you back in after something so traumatic."

"Besides, we need someone to maintain the fort back here, and we may end up needing to call in for backup." Don placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're not benching you permanently, okay?"

Gyrus sighed. He was out voted either way. Best not to push it now.

"...Right."

He didn't pay much attention to the rest of the meeting. He zoned back into the conversation long enough to hear their party would consist of Don, Cib, Ragan, Feather, Anan, and two rookies they had picked up in the realm of snakes. That would leave three swords behind for emergencies. 

After that, they broke for lunch. The Room of Swords would gather this afternoon, the team would be announced, and the party would be on their way.

Gyrus was too riled up to head for food and he didn't really feel like talking to anyone anyway. Despite his best efforts to not dwell on it, his conversation with Don from the other night in the garden was dancing through his mind. Was this the start of Don tossing him away? Or were they right and he was overreacting? He still didn't know how to even start to digest the information he had learned on the beach. 

He sulked through the halls, wandering aimlessly until he spotted a bench outside the newly constructed stables and sat down. He wished Kodya was around to talk to, but he was most likely at lunch with everyone else before the meeting. This part of the Room of Swords was likely deserted at this time of day. 

So Gyrus was very surprised to hear Kodya's voice.

"Gyrus?" Kodya stepped out of the stables, dusting off his hands.

Gyrus sat up, happy to hear the sound of his apprentice's voice. "Oh, hi Kodya. I thought you'd be getting food?"

"I was planning on it soon." Kodya nodded. "Are you not? The next mission leaves today, right?" He frowned. "You shouldn't skip a meal before that. Food might be hard to come by at first."

At the mention of the mission, Gyrus gripped the bench tighter and looked down at the floor.

"I'm not going."

"What? Why?"

"Don and Cib don't think I'm ready to lead again yet." He crossed his arms tightly. “After everything we’ve been through, they think that is enough to take me out? That didn’t make me weaker! I can still fight.”

Kodya was silent for a moment and then sat next to him on the bench, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know how frustrating that can be, not being able to help when you want to. But I can tell you that this won't change anyone's opinion of you. Whether or not you lead this particular mission, everyone here still looks up to you." Kodya moved his hand from Gyrus' shoulder to scratch the back of his neck. "And you'll prove it to them next time that you're more than ready to be back."

The knot in Gyrus' stomach slowly released as Kodya spoke. Even if there was something going on with Don, it seemed that Gyrus’ concerns didn't need to extend to his other friends as well. He hadn't even realized that had been plaguing him too. Gyrus looked up at him in awe, wondering how Kodya always seemed to know what to say. 

Kodya was looking down at his hands in his lap, avoiding eye contact.

"Sorry if that's not really helpful--"

Gyrus placed a hand back on his shoulder, prompting his apprentice to look back at him. 

"No, thank you, Kodya." Gyrus flashed him a smile. "I really appreciate your advice. I can see why Nephthys always recommends talking to you."

 _"She what?!"_ Kodya looked mortified, the pink blush Gyrus was getting very used to spreading over his cheeks.

Gyrus laughed, standing up and offering him a hand. "Come on, let's go get some food and see off the next team. Maybe, we can practice some sparring this afternoon too. I owe you some new tips after this." 

Still looking grumpy and mortified, Kodya took his hand and Gyrus pulled him to his feet. 

\---

After going to Kodya for the soothe spell, just like when he had first started using the implant, the shadow had been mercifully quiet for a little while. 

Gyrus wasn't naive enough to think that one time would be a permanent fix. 

But even though he had been expecting it to stir again, especially after spending the afternoon studying the robotic arm he had found, it was still jarring to wake up in the middle of the night to the pounding on the door in his mind.

He flicked on the lights to his room quickly, but it still felt like shadows were dancing around the edges of his vision. Faint whispers echoed in the back of his mind. 

_**Not one of them. Not human. Join us.** _

Gyrus pulled his knees to his chest and placed his hands on his head, hoping it would drown out the whispers but knowing it wouldn't. He hated to admit it but, the voices?

They scared him.

_**It’s inevitable. You’re not one of them.** _

He wanted to feel human. He didn't want to feel alone. And even though he had said he wouldn't make a habit of this, Gyrus found himself putting on his robe and heading out into the quiet halls of the Room of Swords. There was one person he felt like he could be himself around right now -- well as much as he could be himself.

Kodya had definitely been asleep when Gyrus knocked on his door this time, but before he could apologize, the kid stepped aside with a sleepy smile and gestured to his room. 

"More inner demons?" He asked once they were seated.

_**NOT ONE OF THEM. WAIT UNTIL HE FINDS OUT. NOT HUMAN.** _

Gyrus pulled his knees back up to his chest, guilt and anxiety surging through him. Tears stinging the corners of his eyes, he tried to focus on the room around him. "--I promise I'm not going to bother you all the time with this--" 

Before he could finish the thought, he looked up to see Kodya already with his hand extended, blue light softly glowing from his palm, illuminating a patient and caring expression.

Gyrus took his hand again, desperate.

**Soothe.**

The relief -- like the last time -- was immediate. 

It was like the sea washing over him, but the waves were slow, controlled. Washing away everything around him. 

The voices quieted.

His worries floated away.

But he felt grounded and safe.

He felt so relaxed.

And he knew it was more than just the spell that made him feel safe in this moment. Kodya's presence at his side was like an anchor, keeping him tethered as all of his worries washed away. 

He was so grateful they got to meet.

Kodya released the spell and cleared his throat. "Looks like the worst of it is over. How do you feel?"

Even after the spell was over, the peace that radiated through Gyrus was still strong.

Kodya really was one of the most amazing people he had ever met.

He looked up at Kodya, a smile spreading on his face and was surprised by the sudden urge to lean in and kiss him.

He froze. He couldn't do that? 

Kodya looked a bit flustered as well. "Did you--"

"Uh, well--" Gyrus leaned back, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. They both stood up quickly. "--I should--"

"--yeah, yeah it's late--"

"--thanks again--"

"--don't worry about--"

"--see you tomorrow." 

Kodya paused at the open door, looking down for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking him in the eyes.

"I think you're amazing too, Gyrus."

And he shut the door.

Gyrus blinked, when had he--?

_"I said that out loud?!"_

\------

The arm could wait.

Gyrus had another, more pressing problem to figure out today. 

Like what the heck was that last night???

He paced through the halls of the Room of Swords, too antsy to sit in his room to mull this over.

Gyrus had long since understood that he didn't get feelings toward people. For a while he had actually thought something was wrong with him because he never had crushes on people like his peers growing up. Before he learned he was asexual he had thought he was broken, but since discovering he wasn’t alone in the way he was, he had come to terms with that as a piece of identity. And he was proud of it actually! Attraction was overrated and seemed rather distracting anyway? He had been content with the fact that he would never understand it and that was that.

At least, that’s what he had thought?

Gyrus looked up and realized he was by the stables again and smacked his forehead. It was like he was trying to run into Kodya again. And at the thought of him, Gyrus felt an excited chill run through him that he didn’t understand. 

He quickly marched off. 

Maybe last night had been just a fluke? The soothe spell had hit a little stronger than the last time. That was it!

Except for the fact that it was after Kodya had stopped the spell that he had felt the urge to kiss him.

He eventually made his way toward the training room, where Nephthys and Kodya were both sitting. Gyrus' heart leapt upon seeing his apprentice before his mind buzzed with confusion again. He quickly walked past the door and paused at the one way window into the room. 

Kodya looked different somehow, but Gyrus couldn't place it. He was in his usual clothes, rolling his eyes at something Nephthys was giggling at. The light in the room highlighted the blond streak in his hair that fell between his gentle, kind dark blue eyes. 

Gyrus caught himself smiling stupidly and shook his head, smacking his face lightly. He wanted to go in there and talk to Kodya -- but if his stomach kept flipping at the thought of him how was he supposed to keep it together? As much as he longed to walk in, he forced himself to keep moving down the hallway.

He needed advice and there was someone who came to mind who might be able to help.

Ainju was a recent, but valuable addition to the Room of Swords. He was a monk with a level head, grounded advice, and also had a good sense of humor on top of it. 

Gyrus found him in the kitchen overwhelming Oli, split into his seven chakra forms. Which is exactly what Gyrus was hoping for.

"Hinju, do you have a minute to talk?"

The heart chakra clone stood up and walked over, with all of the others peering over in their direction curiously. Gyrus tried not to be flustered by the onlookers, knowing that they were all technically the same person after all.

"What can I do for you, Gyrus?"

Gyrus scratched the back of his neck, trying not to feel awkward. "Sorry to bother you, but I was, uh, hoping to get your advice on something."

Hinju smiled and nodding knowingly. "Love problems?"

"What!?" Gyrus blurted out, feeling the warmth spreading to his cheeks. "Why--how--?"

Hinju laughed, not unkindly, and sat down at an empty table. "I'm a heart chakra clone. You're far from the first to assume that I have relationship expertise."

"I'm sorry for assuming…"

"Don't worry about it." Hinju shook his head. "What is troubling you?"

Gyrus sighed, wondering where to begin. "Since I was a teenager, I've always known that I didn't experience attraction the same way others did."

"That's very common and doesn't mean anything is wrong with you."

"Right. And, I know that, but…" Gyrus looked down at his hands. "Something… changed? And I don't know what did or why it did or how long it will last -- but suddenly I can't look at this person the same as I did before?"

Hinju sat back, nodding. "Are you and this person very close?"

It wasn’t that Gyrus thought before this moment that he and Kodya weren’t close, but being asked the question directly brought it to the surface just how much he enjoyed Kodya’s company. Out of everyone in the Room of Swords, Kodya was the one he most enjoyed spending time with. If he could choose only one person here to spend time with, it’d be him. He nodded. “Yes.”

"Have you been bonding with this person more lately? Perhaps opening up with them more than you used to?"

Gyrus could talk to Kodya about almost anything. Everything that Gyrus could talk about with him, he did. Kodya was open with him as well. He told Gyrus stories from the war he was in back home that he wouldn’t even open to Nephthys about. Kodya was always there for him without fail when Gyrus needed him. And Gyrus tried to be there for him too.

He nodded again. “Yes.”

“And before something changed, how would you have described this person?”

“He’s my best friend.” Gyrus answered confidently, his chest feeling warm. “That’s why… I don’t want whatever this change is to be a fluke, or ruin things or-- I don’t know. I’ve never experienced this before. I--I didn’t know that I could?”

Hinju smiled softly. “Well, if he really is your best friend, isn’t he the best person to talk to this about? Talk about it together.” 

Gyrus stood up, nervous but determined. “Thank you, Hinju.”

The only issue was Gyrus wasn’t sure where to find Kodya now. He wasn’t in his room and at a glance through the window, it appeared he had left the training hall sometime during Gyrus’ talk with Hinju. 

As he walked past the training room door, he did nearly bump right into Nephthys as she was leaving. “Oh, hello Gyrus!”

“Hey Nephthys.” Gyrus peered over her shoulder, but Kodya wasn’t there. “Have you seen--”

“Oh!! Wait!” She closed her eyes and placed her hands on her temples, concentrating. “I really think I’m starting to get the hang of this.” 

Gyrus fidgeted as the woman focused and jumped as her eyes sprang open. She was nearly beaming ear to ear. 

“You’ll find what you’re looking for if you head to your room.”

For some reason Gyrus doubted he would find Kodya there. “...My room--?”

“Yes!!” She shoved his back, pushing him down the hall with surprising strength. “Hurry though!”

“Ahh! Alright I’m going, I’m going!” 

Gyrus half ran through the halls. Would Kodya really be there waiting for him?

And as Gyrus turned the corner, he saw Kodya turning away from his door with a frown. He had to fight back the goofy smile that wanted to break out on his face.

“Kodya!” Gyrus called out, waving to him as he approached.

“Gyrus.” Kodya turned to him, that determined, nervous look in his eyes he had whenever he was about to try out a new tactic during training. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Gyrus nodded. “I have something to talk to you about too. I--” But the hallway probably wasn’t the place for this. He opened his door and gestured to it, much like Kodya had done for him. “...Do you want to come in?”

“Good idea.” 

Kodya stepped in and Gyrus followed shutting the door behind him, nerves bubbling up inside. They both sat down on the couch silently.

“...Do you want to go first? Or should I?” Kodya asked. 

Gyrus felt his cheeks growing warm. How was he going to approach this? He didn’t have a plan?

“...I’ll admit, I didn’t really think this through. I’m not sure how to start. Do you want to go first?” Gyrus deflected. 

Kodya seemed just as anxious as he did, but he nodded. “Gyrus.” After taking a deep breath in, that determined spark was back in his eyes. “I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the time we’ve been spending together lately… It means a lot to me.”

“Kodya, it means a lot to me too. That’s why I--” 

The words died on his lips. Gyrus was too chicken. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t risk ruining this -- not without a plan. 

“What is it?” Kodya pressed.

“I’m sorry -- I don’t know I haven’t really thought this through yet --”

Kodya took his hands, sending a thrill up Gyrus’ arms. “Sometimes it’s better to act first and think later.” 

“I’m having trouble sorting out some feelings I’m having.” Gyrus began, feeling like an idiot, before an idea came to him. Maybe he wouldn’t have to articulate what he was trying to say. “You said that you can feel what I’m feeling when you use that soothe spell?”

Kodya tilted his head to the side curiously. “Do you want me to use that now?”

Gyrus nodded. 

Kodya’s hands began to glow and the faint soothe sensation washed over him, settling his nerves. 

He gasped, looking up into his eyes. “Gyrus…?”

Taking advantage of the calm from the spell before he could overthink, Gyrus opened up. “Kodya. I never thought I could feel this way about someone -- but if it were to be anyone I would want it to be you. You’re my best friend -- and --”

Kodya dropped the spell, placing a hand on his cheek with a smile on his face. As usual, he knew just what to say.

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! This was supposed to be just one quick scene but then this kind of wrote itself so I let it go where it wanted to go. This is my first time writing RoS fanfiction so I hope my characterizations are alright. (I've also never written fluff this fluffy?? But Gyrus is super relatable on the demisexual scale so I kind of had to) I tend to be an angsty/drama writer so I hope I did the fluff genre justice too. 
> 
> Anyway, later folks!


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